1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to thin film multi-junction solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Crystalline silicon solar cells and thin film solar cells are two types of solar cells. Crystalline silicon solar cells typically use either mono-crystalline substrates (i.e., single-crystal substrates of pure silicon) or a multi-crystalline silicon substrates (i.e., poly-crystalline or polysilicon). Additional film layers are deposited onto the silicon substrates to improve light capture, form the electrical circuits, and protect the devices. Thin-film solar cells use thin layers of materials deposited on suitable substrates to form one or more p-i-n junctions. Suitable substrates include glass, metal, and polymer substrates.
Microcrystalline silicon film (μC-Si) is one type of film being used to form solar cells. Conventional deposition processes of microcrystalline silicon films have slow deposition rates, which disadvantageously reduce manufacturing throughput and increase production costs.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved method for depositing microcrystalline silicon films.